scalpy

Firstly, things got so desperate I used joinmyband to get a gig. The most memorable bit was when the guitarist pointed to an old HH amp and said "Do you know who that used to belong to?" I started wracking my brains for famous HH users. He said "Fred West." I decided to opt for the last resort. Start my on band.

www.airstudios.com Seriously, ask and you never know what might happen.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1318334318' post='1400663'] Once again I must wave a lonely little flag for Tommy Cogbill: [url="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-cogbill-p65382/credits"]http://www.allmusic....-p65382/credits[/url] [/quote] Funky Funky Broadway- A giant. Krist Novoselic of Nirvana- a giant collection of quotable lines. Johnny Colt of the Black Crowes- such a great vibe and sound on Southern Harmony.

This is great but why is it so difficult to descend? I can go up pretty easily but removing my fingers from the string following the one finger per fret model really becomes clumsy. I like to keep my fingers as close to the neck as possible but descending I can only get up to a medium pace before I start flapping round like a novice. There are several passages where a descending passage is repeated (nowhere near the open string positions coincidentally) and the first time will be ok and then the second time becomes inaccurate. Anyway, thanks for the advice and I'll keep on practicing!

I've been playing a regular gig for a theatre company and normally I just get the piano part and get told to do what I want. However this time the part was a proper orchestral double bass chart and apart from forcing me to play above the fifth fret, it's got lots of descending chromatics and I find them really really tricky. I've got another show in December with another group but it's by the same publisher and as it's much better money I want to be up to scratch. I will of course break out the metronome and blindly run up and down chromatics but does anyone have any tips to help with this? I'm very aware they're a big stretch and I don't want to end up straining my pinky so to speak. Descending chromatics haven't cropped up much in the pub rock I normally do!

I inherited mine when I bought my cabs off here, and I'm not overly delighted... There's a hole for a handle on both sides when the cabs only have one, they're a little loose and since I've seen the manufacturers version I've been aiming to set aside the funds to replace them. Sorry to Roqsolid fans.

The G&L ASAT The lakland jo 5 string with the pre-amp on here a week or two ago, white. Sweet. Aggie DB751 and 4 by 12. In tweed.

I can't remember this one being up or not but here it is (again!) On his recent radio show with Flea Ronnie explains that Willie was playing in the band and used this line as a warm up. The other guys told him it wasn't an exercise but a song in itself, and fixed Willie up with his first publishing deal! I couldn't find the original on youtube but this is pretty fine as it stands, although Keef barely does!

My old band once supported a band at Hammersmith Uni I think it was when the drummer took an hour to soundcheck the kick drum. We were going crazy after 5 minutes! In my experience once the gear is set up the best guys are soundchecked and happy by the end of the first chorus of the one tune they try. 3 hours for your rig is too long as I'm sure you'll be pointing out to the band. I used to set up an 18 piece soul band in that time, by myself!

A friend of mine spent 6 months doing this animation in a kind of Heath Robinson/ Simon's Cat kind of vein. He then thought some bespoke music would be nice and asked for something that was a cross between My Name Is Earl and Chess era Johnny Cash. I don't know it's turned out exactly like that, and it's a reminder that I need a 6 saddle bridge for my tele, but enjoy! By the way, recording all the sound effects was hilarious, the chicken is my partner, Hannah. Thanks Harry

I've done it, in a silly size band, with no adverse effects.

It sounds daft, but actually practise your explanations, to the point of scripting them if necessary. Record them, and play them back. The best teachers are clear, concise and positive.

John Paul Jones will run a Fender Twin sometimes with his SWR, if I recall from Bassist Magazine Issue 1!

I depped for a band, straight ahead pub rock stuff, only one bass moment in two hours, which I put a lot of work in for, learning the songs in funny keys because of the singer. Got to Alright Now, it's a well worn tune true but it is a fantastic bass moment just before the long full edit guitar solo, but he doubles the bass line before the foot on the monitor bit. Annoyed.

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' post='1332633' date='Aug 8 2011, 07:52 PM']It's complicated. At the age of 11 I had lessons for brass, and played tuba in various orchestras and a military band until I was 19, becoming reasonably proficient and reading music. At 16 I picked up the guitar and after 3 months could play a couple of simple songs, using chord books and words with chords. Went on from there to play by ear, playing lead in a couple of bands and buying my first bass (part-ex'd fairly quickly - horrid thing - in favour of a nice guitar). About 18 months ago I was 'out of work' musically speaking for the first time in 30 years, and picked up a couple of budget basses to learn how to play. I'm hardly proficient, but I can play like a bass player - watched what other players do and watched a couple of you-tube vids too.[/quote] I ended up on bass after playing the trumpet too. So many people seem to end up down here after playing brass! What I should have made more clear in the OP is as well as the medium of learning, and the poll should have included books OBBM, I forgot, is that it would be interesting to find what is generating the motivation. Where does the dedication and focus come from to develop what is a complicated skill? For me, it was a strong sense of identity, I felt like I belonged with the musicians I was meeting and I wanted to be better than any other bass players in town so that I would be the one always offered the gig. (That didn't happen..!) Harry

These are all really interesting, especially the fact that "by ear" is in the lead at the moment. In the classroom, this is one of the hardest skills to explain and incorporate into a lesson when dealing with large numbers of students. It also demands quite a high level of skill and motivation early on, something that's probably worth exploring. Keep it up people, this is useful stuff! Harry

Hi there. I am interested in how people learn to be a musician, and I thought a general quiz of this delightful forum would be a good place to start before I apply for an MA, looking at student motivation. Generating and maintaining motivation is central to my job as a classroom teacher, and whilst there is a lot of information out there from a teacher's perspective it would be interesting to hear from people who have maintained their enthusiasm for music beyond the age of 16 and the classroom. I realise that it is a complicated process and most people don't learn from a single source, but if you could tell me how you got going in the first place that would be very useful. For instance, my dad started me with Keep On Running, and after that I started playing along to his Soul compilations, so I would have put from a parent. I sat in with a jam session with some older kids at school and felt a strong sense of right-ness. Before long being a bass player became central to what I wanted to be as a person and I had to start a band "to do it properly". If you would be so kind anecdotes about how you got going and what kept you going would be very interesting. Music being a big part of the family or community is traditionally a big influence but this may be changing, if that's you let me know. What genre or direction you've ended up taking is not so much an issue, it's the period you spent getting your basic chops together that I want to focus on. I know this isn't very scientific but your input might help me improve my teaching and find an angle to research in a more thorough manner at a later date. Thank you Harry

If it's a keeper you're after, hold out for an American G&L. It'll be absolutely worth it.

As with any art, it is better when the artist has something to say, and says it eloquently, with genuine sentiment. Sometimes that requires a sophisticated technique, a lot of the time it doesn't.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1317146' date='Jul 26 2011, 02:57 PM']I voted Boss Tweed even though I own the (popular) black![/quote] Good man! Although I agree that the material thickness depends on the colour. A friend has the chocolate ones and they seem much more snag resistant. Liking aggies and going for black shows a distinct lack of imagination!